"Ask an Attorney"

Volume I -- A Practical Guide to Asset Protection for Health Care Professionals

Volume II -- A Practical Guide to Asset Protection for Health Care Professionals

Two videotapes 22 and 17 minutes in length with booklets separately packaged

See pages xx, Part #V-429 on how to order

The law is a funny thing. It can put someone in jail for 30 years for cheating on his income tax and let an admitted murderer go free on a technicality. The American legal system is a mess of legal hocus-pocus that allows the innocent to be punished and the guilty to go free.

A number of years ago a group of law-abiding homeowners met with the local police to discuss protection of their property. They were told that if someone broke into their home they must be careful not to injure that person for fear that they would sue the homeowner for assault and damages. The inference being that if you had a gun -- shoot to kill; dead people can't sue.

In the videotape and booklet on the subject, noted attorney Joseph F. Pippen Jr. relates, through example, the ridiculous extremes people will go to in this sue-happy generation. Such stories as the thief who sued a public school for negligence because he fell through the skylight of a school building he was trying to rob, or the Chicago Bear fan who sued the team because he didn't approve of the way they played, tend to make you worry about the patients you see.

As professionals, chiropractic physicians are quite vulnerable to litigation -- not only because of the nature of what they do but because of the public's perception of a doctor's wealth. In other words, we're ripe for financial picking. Fortunately, this tape and booklet by Pippen is a focused lesson on the legal problems faced by health professionals.

In order, he covers asset protection in second marriages, probate and probate costs, taxes, partnerships under pending threat of litigation, income shifting, using multiple trusts, using super trusts, using charitable remainder trusts, understanding trust/will differences, and asset protection in estate planning.

Each of these subjects is usually covered in a few paragraphs with the videotape filling in some of the gaps.

The second volume is an estate planning and follows the same general format. Covered in order are wills, what estate planning is, estate planning goals, five excuses to delay estate planning, when you die, cost of probate, cheap wills cost a lot, does your will ..., do-it-yourself problems, pour-over wills, durable family power of attorney, reasons for the durable family power of attorney, living trusts, living trust: answer to archaic probate system, common misconceptions about living trusts, multiple trusts/multiple savings, estate planning for business owners, estate planning -- planned giving, super trusts, estate planning -- tax avoidance for large estates, estate planning -- generation-skipping tax, estate taxes -- form 706, estate planning -- inheritance tax and finally, estate planning for large estates.

As with the first volume, the text is succinct and fleshed out with the videotape.

Clearly, this two-volume set was produced for the busy health care professional. Both volumes are beautifully produced in cases containing the booklets and tapes. The production quality of the tapes is of superior quality, with a host interviewing the attorney. Interspersed are questions from health care professionals germane to the topic.

Above all, it's important to remember three things: First, there is, unfortunately, a good chance that you might be involved in some personal litigation; secondly, there's an even better chance that you will die; and finally, the two volumes produced by Craig Roberts are needed to help you prepare for the preceding two.